(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an analysis system and method for visualizing heat conduction. More particularly, the present invention relates to an analysis system and method for visualizing heat conduction that clearly acquires the heat conduction characteristics of various kinds of solid state samples.
(b) Background Art
Recently, thermal conductivities that are bibliographically reported by thermal conductivity measurement standardization methods for quantitative digitization of heat conduction of a solid state sample are distinguished according to the measurement methods and the types of samples used. Due to the absence of a standardized system for thermographic imaging for visualization heat conduction in actual samples, there are many variables that influence the results such as ambient environments including temperature, convection and humidity, interfacial resistance between a sample and a heat source, sample size, and non-uniform heat transfer from the heat source to the sample during the visualization analysis of heat conduction. Accordingly, the conventional techniques for analyzing heat conduction of a sold state sample are severely limited.
Currently, the standard tests related to heat conduction measurement measure the thermal conductivity of the solid state sample and provide a quantitative analysis. However, due to various heat conduction measurement methods, values vary even from one sample to another even when the samples are exactly the same when the conventional measurement methods are utilized. Also, in case of a composite sample, the thermal conductivities in the thickness direction and longitudinal direction (or surface direction) of two identical samples typically differ according to their filler orientations and dispersion degrees of the sample.
Most thermal conductivity measurement methods are optimized for the thermal conductivity measurement in the thickness direction. The thermal conductivity in the longitudinal direction, however, is often greatly different form the thermal conductivity in the thickness direction due to the shape of a sample holder for testing the sample in the longitudinal direction (or planar direction). The shape of the hold is also manufactured differently than the type of holder used for testing the thermal conductivity of a solid state sample. Thus the conventional methods are not entirely reliable.
Generally, heat conduction in a solid state sample occurs in an environment in which a temperature gradient exists, and thermal energy from a high temperature location is transferred in a form of phonon through the crystal lattice of the sample. When a thermal image camera is used, the thermal diffusion of the sample is detected by the range (pixel) temperature variation to be displayed on a display with a certain degree of color contrast.
However, as described above, due to the absence of a standardized system for visualizing the heat conduction in an actual sample, the phenomenon analysis is being limited due to influences from many different variables such as ambient environments including temperature, convection and humidity, interfacial resistance between a sample and a heat source, sample size, and non-uniform heat transfer from the heat source to the sample during the visualization analysis.
Particularly, in case of a polymer composite sample, the filler orientation and dispersion vary according to its manufacturing methods. Generally, in a sample manufactured by injection molding, a filler receives a delivery force to be oriented in the injection (longitudinal) direction, and thus the filler forms a heat transfer path in the injection direction, leading to the heat conduction characteristics higher than those in the thickness direction. This shows a difference in degree according to the injection conditions, the crystallinity of polymer resin, the size and shape of the filler, and the surface characteristics of the filler. Accordingly, a clearer analysis of the heat conduction characteristics in the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of a sold state sample is needed.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.